Search for something in Gmail and the query will take anywhere from a few seconds to a full minute depending on the product's temperament. The wait can be agonizing. The far speedier version of Gmail search engineered by CloudMagic is anything but painful.

CloudMagic, a browser plugin for Chrome and Firefox, is more than a Gmail search tool. The plugin offers an integrated search experience across Gmail, Google Docs and Contacts, supports Google Apps users and allows for multiple accounts.

Once installed, the CloudMagic search bar sits in the upper righthand corner inside Gmail and Google Docs and provides a search-as-you-type experience that feels unbelievably fast.

CloudMagic was designed to mirror the functionality of Spotlight, the system search feature for Macs, and apply the same search techniques to cloud services.

"With the prevailing use of online applications, we felt a need to search and locate stuff quickly," co-creator Rohit Nadhani says. "We started with Gmail because the search kind of sucks."

CloudMagic then added Google Docs and Contacts into the experience. It's now working on Facebook and Twitter search for a pending release, which means the CloudMagic user will soon be able to search most of his personal and social data streams wherever he navigates on the web.

Mobile is also an important priority, Nadhani says, though it will be a greater challenge. CloudMagic is super speedy because it makes local copies of the user's data — it's not querying a cloud server, but the user's hard disk. That same process is nearly impossible to replicate on mobile devices.

Eventually CloudMagic, a Webyog-incubated company, will spin out as its own entity. Already, more than 200,000 people have downloaded the plugin since its August debut.

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.